Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like a whole bunch of Macs powered by Apple’s M4 chip — including a Mac mini that will be surprisingly small — will arrive in the not-so-distant future. We discuss the latest M4 Mac rumors (and can’t help getting more than a little excited).

Also on The CultCast:

• The latest iOS 18 beta brings more interesting changes, including one that makes Griffin very happy.
• We’ve got questions about the next Apple Watch SE. Will it be plastic? Vibrantly colorful? Cheaper?
• Samsung’s copycat designers take heat from an unlikely source for mimicking Apple’s products.
• In a new Under Review segment, Griffin tells us what he likes (and what he doesn’t) about an unusual three-in-one MagSafe charger.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Some people were skeptical when Apple TV+ turned the 1981 cult classic movie Time Bandits into a comedic adventure series for all ages. But it’s hard to argue with success — for the second week, the show starring Lisa Kudrow is one of the most popular on any streaming service.

And Jake Gyllenhaal’s crime drama Presumed Innocent continues to pull in a huge audience.

Apple plans to expand its Adaptive Lighting feature to Matter-compatible smart lights with the release of iOS 18, which will significantly increase the number of smart lights that can use the popular feature in the Apple Home ecosystem. And among the first to work on it is Nanoleaf, according to a new report.

A Mac or iPhone is a no longer needed to access Apple Maps — a web version reached public beta testing Wednesday. It allows users to get driving and walking directions from a web browser, including Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs.

Update: Several weeks after the initial release, Apple Maps on the web now works on a broader selection of web browsers.

Shrinking, the hit comedy starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford as therapists with problems of their own, returns to Apple TV+ on October 16. Friday’s’s announcement came with a tiny teaser video for season 2.

This is another entry in Apple’s collection of shows with a radical premise: People in sitcoms don’t have to be horrible to each other.

Update: Apple TV+ posted on social media about Shrinking season 2 on August 5, then pulled the post and video shortly afterward. The teaser trailer came back on Friday.

Here’s how to keep track of your mental health using the new mood-tracking feature in iOS 17. Logging how you feel throughout the day with your iPhone should help you identify what’s causing you trouble or what works for you, whether it’s work, family, exercise, sleep or other things.

In order to make any kind of meaningful change, you need to understand fully what helps, what doesn’t, and what you can do. And that means effectively tracking your mental health. Luckily, starting your log is easy. Set it up once, and your phone will ask you every day so you don’t forget.

Let me show you how to start a log of your mental wellness in iOS 17.

This is your last chance to slash up to 65% off these multidevice charging stands from SwitchEasy. The sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on August 9.

If you own an iPhone, you need a MagSafe charging stand. They’re incredibly convenient, and they work great with StandBy, which instantly turns your iPhone into a smart display.

SwitchEasy offers two great wireless magnetic charging stands in the Cult of Mac Store — a powerful 4-in-1 and a compact 2-in-1 — and both feature a night light. And they’ve got something else in common. They’re both on sale at up to 65% off in our SwitchEasy Sale.

Some great deals on Apple gear only last for a day, like Woot’s nice discounts on 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) and Beats Solo3 headphones. Others may last longer, but for an unknown amount of time, like the price war we’ve been tracking between Amazon and Best Buy. Loads of M3 MacBook Pro models are on sale. See some sample below.

What would the computer setup that has everything — in fact, two of many things — be missing? Well, in the case of today’s dual MacBook Pro workstation, it’s not excellent audio gear. Not only does it double up on high-end laptops, Studio Displays, Trackpads and more. It also mounts powerful Yamaha HS7 speakers and an AKG condenser microphone to help provide a fabulous soundtrack.

The big CdkeySales Back to School Sale continues, so don’t miss it. You and your family can bag major bargains on crucial Microsoft productivity software before classes start. So go ahead and nab surprisingly low prices on software like Windows and Microsoft Office. That includes Windows 10 Pro for just $17.05 — and a free upgrade comes with it! Or you can cut straight to the chase and get Windows 11 Pro for only $22.71.

You will find remarkably low prices at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com now and throughout the year. To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT. That cuts an additional 30% off the site’s low prices on genuine software keys. And don’t forget: When you buy Windows 10, you get a free upgrade to Windows 11!

Mageasy Lift Standing & Folding Folio iPad Case folds into a stand that raises your tablet screen up closer to eye level. It’s a trick that really helps it stand out from the competition (see what I did there?).

It can also be folded into other shapes to provide a range of viewing angles. And when on the go, the case wraps completely around the iPad to protect it.

I tested the Lift with my 2024 iPad Pro.

Desperate dad Matt Damon and ex-con Casey Affleck join forces for the heist of a lifetime in Boston, and guess what — it goes horribly wrong. With high-speed car chases, multiple explosions and Boston accents flying all over the place from a smart-alecky veteran cast, the new trailer for Apple Original Film The Instigators stormed computer screens Thursday in entertaining fashion.

The Instigators debuts in select theaters on August 2 before streaming on Apple TV+ August 9, but you can watch the first trailer now.

UPDATE: With its week in select theaters now past, star-studded Apple Original Film The Instigators starts streaming Friday on Apple TV+. Reviews of the caper-gone-awry flick find a lot to like, particularly in the chemistry between Boston-bred leads Matt Damon, one of the film’s producers, and Corey Affleck, one of its writers. Doug Liman (Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) directs.

You’ve just stumbled upon your dream job listing online. The only problem? The application deadline is tomorrow, and your resume is looking a bit outdated. You could rush through editing all your application materials yourself, or you could save time (and effort) with Canyon’s AI job search tools.

This all-in-one job-hunting companion is your no-stress go-to for completing every stage of the job search, from crafting your resume to filling out applications and rocking the interview. Budgets can get tight when you’re searching for a job, but don’t worry. You can get a lifetime subscription to Canyon’s Pro level for just $69.99.

Spotify and Epic Games have criticized Apple for its latest App Store fee and external linking changes in the EU. They claim Apple has again disregarded the “fundamental requirements” of the Digital Markets Act.

On August 8, 2024, Apple announced new EU App Store policies to comply with the Digital Markets Act. This follows the European Commission’s June ruling that Apple violated the act’s steering rules.

If you do any kind of work online, you’ve probably already discovered what casual home internet users are starting to learn: Reliable cloud storage is a necessity, not a luxury. Unfortunately, many of the most secure providers charge luxury prices for their top-tier plans, but not with this 20TB cloud storage deal.

Cult of Mac readers can now get 20TB of lifetime cloud storage through Prism Drive for only $79.97 (regularly $1,494).

Apple is making changes to its App Store policies in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. It’s essentially easing linking rules for developers, so they can send customers elsewhere than the App Store for purchases. And it’s attaching new fees for sales that result from the links.

Apple is going to shrink the next Mac mini when it adds an M4 processor, according to an often-reliable source of insider information. The desktop could be the size of an Apple TV.

So, Mac micro?

Apple Original Films gave writer, director and producer Jon Watts the nod to write a sequel to action-comedy film Wolfs, with Academy Award winners George Clooney and Brad Pitt — even before the first installment comes out. Wolfs premieres at the 81st Venice International Film Festival ahead of its limited theatrical release on September 20. Then it debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 27. Hey, when Apple plans a Wolfs sequel even before the original proves popular, you know it expects a hit.

Laurene Powell Jobs’ super-yacht recently crashed into another billionaire’s even bigger yacht off Naples, Italy, according to a report. Steve Jobs originally commissioned the $140 million Venus, collaborating on its design. High winds pushed the boats at anchor into each other.

Damage is estimated to be costly, given the yachts’ combined value of $265 million. For the merely wealthy or well-adjacent, that’s like paying through the nose to get a scratch fixed on your Bentley.

You can find plenty of multiport GaN chargers to help charge your Apple devices on the go. But things get a bit complicated if you want a power brick that can fast charge multiple MacBooks at once. Chargeasap solved this problem with its Zeus 280W power adapter, which the company calls the “world’s first and smallest 280W charger.”

So, what makes the Zeus 280W special? For starters, it can fast charge two 16-inch MacBook Pros at once, a feat that only a few other power bricks can match. Our review will help you decide if this 280W powerhouse is worth buying instead of other GaN chargers.

An iPad Air with an OLED display rather than the current LCD seems a safe bet considering the number of leaks indicating one is in development. But sources can’t agree on when — the latest report says 2026.

That said, Apple already has an OLED tablet for those who want one now.

A separate charger for every one of your devices is impractical, especially if the supply of available electrical outlets doesn’t meet the high demand. You shouldn’t need a power strip just to charge your iPhone, AirPods and iPad. If you want to charge three devices with one cable and cut down on desk clutter, try the MyCharge True Universal 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand.

This three-in-one charger can power iPhones, AirPods and anything that can charge off a 20W USB-C port. Get this charging stand while it’s on sale for $23.99.

Apple released iOS 17.6.1, iPadOS 17.6.1 and macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 on Wednesday. These are patches to fix a problem with Advanced Data Protection, a collection of tools to keep data and communications safe in the cloud.

While there are no new features, the updates are nevertheless important.

Anker’s new Prime charger lineup includes high-end docking stations, power banks, wall chargers and more to support all charging scenarios.

“With the future of work evolving, we wanted the Anker Prime lineup to evolve with it,” said Shaun Xiong, general manager of Anker Charging, in a press release Wednesday. “When we first introduced the Anker Prime line of charging devices, we wanted to provide high-quality, multi-port charging devices. These new desktop charging stations this year take that experience to the next level with highly flexible designs that are more durable, provide additional functionality, and use durable materials for wfh people and at-home use.”

The itty-bitty Samsung USB Type-C Flash Drive is now available with up to 512GB of storage capacity — twice as much as before. And the company’s miniature USB-A version also doubled in capacity.

Plus, the 256GB versions are on sale at some nice discounts.